A long, empty road, what do you feel when you see one? Are you excited about an adventure or nervous about being so far from civilization? For me, I immediately think about a motorcycle trip and exploration. Our day-to-day lives have many responsibilities, structures, and restrictions. They arise from things we may not like so much, but also from what we value and love. Sometimes, it’s just nice to break free, to give ourselves some space to reset, let go, and reconnect with yourself. Out here on the road, especially on a bike, we answer to no one. We make the rules. We choose the direction. We are masters of our fate.
It has been a couple of years since I crossed the country on a motorcycle, and I was itching for a long ride. My longtime friend and Cajun riding buddy Chill (Emil) and some of his friends were planning to attend the Witches Walk in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, the weekend before Halloween. The event gathers as many as 10,000 “witches” for a big party. Seeing my buddy, enjoying New Orleans cuisine, and partying with 10,000 witches sounded too good to miss. So, I packed up my bike, threw in a warlock costume, and hit the road.
My broomstick for the trip is my 2022 Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT. The bike is an excellent touring machine thanks to a high, upright seating position, outstanding wind protection, hard panniers, and a powerful, buttery smooth Japanese inline-4. While the Versys may not have the character of some of the other bikes I ride, it does everything really well. With an ambitious schedule of at least 400 miles a day, I needed a comfortable bike for the trip.
Day One
The first leg of the ride was 460 miles from LA to Jerome, Arizona. Getting out of LA is never much fun, typically slogging through traffic on big interstates. However, once past the coastal mountains and into the desert, there are great deserted back roads heading east.
I peeled off I-10 near Palm Springs and headed through Joshua Tree (town, not National Park) and Twentynine Palms on Hwy 62 across the Colorado River to Parker, Arizona. There, I picked up Arizona State Route 95 to Route 72 towards Vicksburg. Soon, I headed east on U.S. Route 60 to State Route 71, then into the mountains on SR 89 in Congress.
Until I hit Arizona’s Black Hills, I enjoyed empty, straight roads and gorgeous desert landscapes. Although straight roads don’t excite me much, something about the wide-open desert speaks to my soul. I love it.
Once on SR 89, the real fun began. The section from Congress to Jerome is some of the best road riding in the region, picking up SR 89A midway in Prescott. The 89s have fantastic curvy roads with mountain climbs and descents, and few people. The Kawasaki was definitely in its element, and I was having a great time! Pulling into Jerome, I was both thrilled and exhausted. If you have never been to Jerome, put it on your list! It is a somewhat haunted, historic mining town turned artist colony on a cliff overlooking Verde Valley.
Day Two
The next leg was to Santa Fe, New Mexico—approximately 500 miles on smaller back roads that wind through beautiful mountains. It was another gorgeous sunny day, though definitely brisk, with temps never getting above the low 60s.
The day’s route took me down the cliff from Jerome to Cottonwood, the start of eastbound Arizona SR260. I traversed the Tonto National Forest’s high desert plateau and mountains until I picked up U.S. Route 60 in Show Low. I crossed over to New Mexico and headed north on New Mexico State Roads 36 and 117 to catch Interstate 40. Interstate 25, north from Albuquerque, guided me into Santa Fe just after sunset.
I can’t imagine a more beautiful day, following buttes, valleys, open high desert, and gorgeous rock formations. The Arizona towns of Strawberry, Pine, and Payson are all very cool. NM-117 to I-40 was a great surprise, arcing along a beautiful plateau for miles and miles.
I quickly changed at the hotel and walked to Santa Fe’s town square for dinner. Having not eaten much on the road, I was starving! I started with delicious chips and guacamole at The Shed, followed by a fried eggplant dish and bacon mac and cheese (with a Mezcal/Bourbon Old Fashioned) at the Coyote Cafe. On my walk back to the hotel, I encountered a couple actual coyotes slinking through town.
Day Three
Today’s destination was Lubbock, with a stop in Taos—an approximately 475-mile day. I got a little bit of a late start, but I was again treated to gorgeous, cool fall weather.
The route I planned included a slight detour to Taos. While I had been to Santa Fe before, I had never been to Taos, so I was excited to see it. After departing Santa Fe on U.S. Route 84 and clearing the surrounding areas and sprawl, I took U.S. Route 285 to New Mexico State Highway 68. Highway 68 follows the Rio Grande River through a beautiful canyon of cottonwoods showing off their beautiful, bright yellow fall colors.
The downtown square of Taos has a quaint feel similar to Santa Fe, albeit smaller. After tooling around town a bit, I headed toward Lubbock, starting on Highway 518 through the surrounding mountains.
NM-518 is a gorgeous and empty road winding through beautiful New Mexican mountains. Once through and down the other side, I was greeted by another high-desert plateau. This one slowly changed to the wide-open Texas plains.
I knew my mountain fun was at an end. I faced long, mostly straight roads the rest of the ride to Lubbock. The endless and immense Texas horizons are beautiful to behold in person, though not captured well in photos.
I rolled into Lubbock after 8 pm and treated myself to a luxurious dinner at one of the city’s 18 Subway restaurants. After driving by numerous wretched, stinking cattle feedlots, I couldn’t stomach the idea of any meat for dinner, so I opted for a toasted Veggie Delight sandwich.
Days Four and Five
The next two days were spent on long, flat, straight Texas and Louisiana roads. It’s not the most exciting on a motorcycle, but still beautiful in its own way on the commanding Kawasaki Versys 1000.
Day four’s ride was 430 miles, with the night spent in College Station, home to Texas A&M University. It’s a cool college town with a bustling bar and restaurant scene—definitely a great place to stop.
The following day, I was on to Bay St. Louis—a 475-mile ride, with a stop in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, to meet up with Chill, who was riding the rest of the way with me on his Ducati Multistrada.
Breaux Bridge is a small Cajun town famous for its crawfish. However, Chill found La Cafe, a great lunch stop that serves some of the best fried shrimp I’ve had in a long time! Later that afternoon, we arrived at Chill’s house in Bay St. Louis, an hour northeast of New Orleans.
The weekend was as expected—a ton of fun, including great food (potentially the best shrimp omelet ever at Robert’s Place Cafe in the neighboring town of Pass Christian), great friends, and partying with a boatload of witches!
My ride to Bay St. Louis on my Kawasaki Versys 1000 was exactly what I needed—time to unplug, connect with myself, and spend a great time with dear friends in a fun and welcoming place.
